


Doctor's Orders

by joufancyhuh



Series: To Know A Vael [25]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Married Life, Pregnancy, bedrest, mentions of miscarriages
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-25 04:53:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20718401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joufancyhuh/pseuds/joufancyhuh
Summary: Hawke struggles with the stipulations of her pregnancy.





	Doctor's Orders

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EradiKate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EradiKate/gifts).

> For the prompt: What does Sebastian do when Kalea is upset?

“I see you’ve broken out again.” 

Sebastian made no effort to hide his approach. Listening to the sound of it with closed eyes, Kalea focused on the time between each step as she pictured his reaction to finding her escaped once again. The first few times met with a combination of anger and irritation, leading to a few particularly bad fights. Last time, he came at her hurt, which threw off all her snappy retorts and led into reprimanding and guilt-tripping. Leave it to an ex-brother of the Chantry to wield that weapon well, even better than her own mother. 

This time, his voice sung with only a heavy resignation accompanied by a long sigh. His shadow loomed over where she sprawled out in the grass, the warmth of the sun blotted out with a chill. A breeze pimpled goosebumps across her arms, where only moments before it offered a gentle reprieve from the heat of spring. Her eyes sleepily blinked open as her yawn shifted into a cheeky grin. 

“Does it count as being outside if I’m laying down?” 

His arms drew across his chest, a hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Typically, lass, bed rest includes a bed.” He sank to the ground, taking a seat beside where she laid her head. The sudden shift brought the light back into her face, blinding her. 

“Well, we are nothing if not innovators.” Her grin remained in place as she brought an arm up to shield her face from the sun’s rays. 

“I’d move the bed out here if only it meant you’d stay in it.” 

A ghost of a touch ran over the arm she locked against her chest, holding their sleeping son against her. Half on top of her, the other half on the ground, Carver napped after a long afternoon of playing with her in the gardens. When her gaze returned to the face above, she found Sebastian’s blue-as-the-sky eyes staring down into hers with a mix of frustration and concern. 

“I know what I’m doing,” she said, her temper starting to ignite. Enough with the sassy remarks from him. If he wanted to reprimand her, then he needed to get at it and stop playing around. 

“Pidge, _ m’eudail _, you are playing with fire.” A quiet pleading entered his voice. 

Even recalling their last conversation on the matter invoked her fury at full force. “I _ am _the fire,” she gritted, the focus jewel around her neck flaring with the sharp red light of her anger. Her chest thundered, loud enough to wake the child resting on it if he didn’t sleep for the dead. Beneath him, she laid, trapped and wielding a glare hot enough to give the sun a serious competitor. 

Sebastian held steady, unyielding and unflinching to her ire. Instead, his hand found hers and brought her knuckles to his lips, such a gentle contrast that it doused her anger. His mouth, cool to the touch of her sun-soaked skin, lingered on each kiss, eye contact strong. “Fires go out,” he said when he finished, his voice a low murmur. “I don’t want that to happen to you.” His gaze flickered past Carver, to her swollen stomach. “Either of you. Not again.” 

How could she argue that? It seemed selfish now, her desire to leave the room for fresh air. They played this pregnancy safe, that was _ their _plan for this one final try at a bigger family. After how it ended last time, after how it left her … the boredom she faced on bed rest paled in comparison. 

“I don’t want that either,” she murmured, her eyes falling off his face and onto a passing cloud. It reminded her of a rabbit, but if she pointed it out, she didn’t think the gesture would be appreciated. 

When her gaze returned to the ground, Carver’s slack face snuggled up against her filled her gaze. He was _ so _excited for her to come outside with him. Bad enough that he no longer slept in the bed because of his kicking, or that the nurses suggested physical contact with him be kept at a minimum, but so much of his life passed by without her now. So what of him? Was she supposed to disappear from his life until the baby came? If they even did and her body didn’t betray her like the last two times? 

Tears gathered along her lashes, and she wiped them away, hopefully quick enough for Sebastian not to notice. But he did, ever the observant one. His fingers brushed around her eyes, wiping at the streaks that spilled down the sides of her head. “If you don’t want to do this,” his voice soft like his touches, “then we don’t need to. I’d rather see you safe, Kalea. That takes priority.” 

Her hand came up to grab his, squeezing tight. “What if something happens again? I need to know that it’s worth this.” 

This time, Sebastian turned his gaze away, forward to some undefined point. “I know you don’t want to hear it,” he began, “but all we can do is pray, and put our faith in the Maker that he’ll see us through these trials.” 

The urge to roll her eyes grew strong, but she resisted. “I’m glad you have something, but that’s for you, not me.” 

His blue eyes flashed with amusement as his focus returned to her face. “Aye, I said you wouldn’t like it.” 

An eye roll won out, a smile cracking the set line of her lips.“I need real, solid assurance on this.” 

Her request met with a sigh. “You know that doesn’t exist.” 

“I know.” Her eyes closed, a few more tears making their escape. She gave his hand another squeeze then let go to sweep a few loose strands of hair across Carver’s forehead. 

Beside her, Sebastian stretched out to lay beside her, one arm helping to prop his head up. “Let me stress in your stead.”

“If you didn’t want me to worry, then I shouldn’t be locked in a room all day with nothing to do but think about what can go wrong.” Her bottom lip jutted out in a pout as her irritation returned with the subject. 

A soft chuckle parted his lips before he leaned over and pecked her damp cheek. “I’ve told you before, I don’t lock the door. You’d only pick it if I did.” 

Damn right she would. “You want to know what helps? Sunlight. Unfiltered, all natural sunlight. And Carver. Lots and lots of Carver snuggles.” 

“He can’t sleep in the bed again. He’s got those powerful little legs of his.” Sebastian reached down to pat the boy’s head. “But aye, let’s reassess some of the bed rest stipulations. I don’t want you miserable and stressed the entire pregnancy.”

Her head turned toward him, blades of grass tickling her cheek. “Truly?”

“I’m your husband, not your warden, Pidge.” Sebastian said as he curled closer to her. “I don’t like having to play this role with you, but you’re too damn hardheaded sometimes.” 

She snorted. “Sometimes.” 

“All the time,” he countered with a grin. “The boy gets it from you. I hope the next one has better luck.” 

Before she formed a retort, as if on cue, shining Fade-green eyes blinked open, arms and legs stretching with an exaggerated moan. Dimples blossomed with a toothy smile as the boy looked between his parents before settling on Kalea. “Màmag, I’m hungry.” He started to crawl over top of her, but Sebastian bolted up and hauled him forward to avoid any hard presses to her stomach. 

“What did I say about being careful with Màmag?” Sebastian locked the squirmy boy in his embrace. Carver only shrieked with laughter in response while attempting an escape. “Neither of you listen well.”


End file.
